Off the Record
by fieldagent85
Summary: After returning to The Daily Planet as a reporter, Perry White enlists the help of Chloe and Lois to bring him closer to Martha, to the chagrin of both Clark and Lionel. UPDATED 7/25
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I wasn't sure how much interest was out there for a Lionel/Martha/Perry White triangle, so if there is, let me know and I'll be more motivated to continue this!

**1. **

"Sullivan."

Chloe looked up from her computer, where she was performing some slightly inane research for Clark as per usual, and was surprised to find her new colleague Perry White standing in front of her desk at _The Daily Planet_.

"Give me all your materials on Senator Kent. Your interview's been passed over to me." Chloe frowned, this development having been news to her. Perry sighed and reluctantly elaborated. "The decision comes from upstairs, what do you want from me?"

It was true. The decision _had_ come from the editor himself, although Perry neglected to mention that he had gone up to grovel and beg for the interview after catching the Senator on C-SPAN and finding himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Chloe shrugged. It was of fairly little consequence to her, as she already knew the Senator better than any other reporter at the famed newspaper. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a manila folder with Martha's name on it, offering it to the older man. "Here, this is everything I've got. Professionally speaking."

Perry took the folder, eyeing Chloe skeptically. "You're not going to put up a fight?"

She shook her head. "Perry, I've known Martha Kent since I was a kid, I have her cell phone number on my speed dial. If I want to interview her, all I have to do is show up at her back door."

Perry was surprised when he felt a twinge of jealousy at this. Figures, that wily Sullivan girl would have easy access to the Senator. "Fair enough."

"Speaking of fair," Chloe added. "I should mention, the Senator isn't exactly big on interviews. She's never been very…comfortable with journalists, so go at your own risk and watch your words carefully."

Perry glared at her dubiously and rolled his eyes. "Kid, I've been at this a lot longer than you have. I think I know how to handle myself around a junior Senator."

"Okay." Chloe leaned back, holding her hands up in defeat. "It was just a friendly little piece of advice."

Perry shrugged. "Just give me the time and place you set up for the interview."

"Well, I was supposed to do it in her kitchen at ten a.m. tomorrow, but chances are she's not going to be all that comfortable with you in her kitchen, so I would suggest giving Lois Lane a call and setting up an appointment yourself," Chloe offered. "She acts as the Senator's in-state Chief of Staff when she's on recess."

"Lois Lane." Perry nodded, committing the name to memory. "Got it. Thanks, Sullivan."

Chloe merely smiled back as Perry turned on his heel to head upstairs. "Hey, Perry?" He paused, glancing back around. "Any idea what brought about this little change from…upstairs?"

"Beats the hell out of me," Perry replied nonchalantly, hoping Chloe wouldn't notice his inability to make eye contact with her.

"Don't kill me," Chloe said, as a preface. "But…would it be possible that perhaps a newly reinstated _Daily Planet_ reporter named Perry White has developed a little…crush on the Senator?"

Perry frowned, folding his arms across his chest and fixating Chloe with his stare. "Oh, please, Sullivan. I don't harbor adolescent _crushes_. I'm an adult. This is purely professional."

"Okay," Chloe answered, a devilish smile playing on her lips.

"Don't you look at me like that," he demanded, turning around again and continuing on his way upstairs. "Damn kids."

Chloe chuckled to herself, then picked up her cell phone and immediately sent out a mass text to Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Jimmy Olsen, and Clark Kent, which read: "Get this – Perry White's got the hots for a certain Senator Kent. More later."

--

Struggling to keep her feet from slipping off her unusually high heels while maintaining a swift movement, Lois Lane rummaged through her purse to find her vibrating cell phone. Martha Kent glanced over and suppressed a chuckle as the two walked down the halls of the State House in Topeka. Once she found it, she hit the talk button and placed it to her ear, out of breath. "Lois Lane."

Lois began to walk slower as her facial expressions changed, which Martha presumed was a result of the conversation. Martha slowed down to match her pace. "Yes," Lois said, holding the phone between her chin and her shoulder. "I understand, okay. Right." At this, Lois pulled the phone away slightly and turned to Martha, silently mouthing the words, "It's Perry White."

Martha furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, but shrugged it off.

"Well, the Senator's pretty well booked for the rest of the day, but if you want to catch her tonight at the Governor's mansion for the party fundraiser…"

Martha's eyes widened and she lightly whacked Lois's shoulder, wordlessly pressing her for an explanation. Lois shook her head, gesturing for her to wait a minute. "Okay. I'll contact the Governor's security detail. You'll be expected. Great. Thank _you_, Mr. White. We'll see you tonight. Bye."

Lois avoided eye contact with Martha as she closed her cell phone and dropped it back into her purse. When she turned, Martha was glaring at her. "Well?"

"_Well_…that was Perry White."

"So I gathered," Martha replied. "And?"

"And…" Lois cringed, anticipating her boss's unfavorable reaction. "You remember that interview Chloe was planning for tomorrow?" Martha nodded. "Apparently that got thwarted. I don't know the details, but seems like Chloe's out and Perry's in." Martha opened her mouth to protest, but Lois continued before she had the chance. "Yes, I know _all_ about the whole Perry White catastrophe of '03, but we _need_ this interview, Mrs. Kent. The more press we can get during a recess the better."

"I understand that, Lois, but Perry White…" Martha trailed off, as she noticed Lois digging through her purse to retrieve her cell phone yet again. She picked it up, glancing at the text message on the screen, from Chloe, one that more than explained Perry White's interview. Her jaw dropped a little and she could not suppress the subsequent giggle. Martha frowned. "What is it?"

Lois quickly closed her cell phone and dropped it back into her purse. "Nothing."

Martha sighed and began walking faster, more determined to reach her destination. Her thoughts began to scatter and her eyes glazed over a bit as she wondered exactly what she was getting herself into.

**TBC.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Again, if you're interested in this fic, please let me know because I'm just taking a shot in the dark here.**

**2. **

"I hate these things."

Lionel smiled. It amused him to watch her schmooze with various political officials, exuding her effortless charm and wit, and then come back and complain to him as if she was completely and utterly out of her element. He knew different. Martha Kent was a natural.

"You'd never know it," Lionel replied, as he slowly whirled her around the dance floor in the ballroom at the Governor's mansion. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were born to it."

Martha rolled her eyes and brushed a strand of auburn hair from her forehead. "At least I have you to scare off all those lecherous politcos out there."

Lionel beamed, doing everything in his power to keep his hand from involuntarily sliding his hand too far down her back, and took the compliment, though he was silently wondering if that was all she thought of him as – a bodyguard.

Startling him from his reverie, they both stopped and turned when they heard Lois Lane clear her throat awkwardly. "Sorry to interrupt. Perry White's here. He's waiting in the study."

Lionel grimaced and pulled away from her. "Perry White?"

Martha regarded him nervously, unsure of how to elaborate, and glanced at Lois for help. She flashed her boss an awkward grin. "Don't look at me."

Martha sighed. "I'm sorry, Lionel, I have to go. We'll talk later, okay?"

He shrugged, still a bit taken aback by the sudden return of Perry White into his life and, worse, into Martha's. He watched her walk out of the ballroom, her long, dark red dress flowing weightlessly behind her.

--

He stood when she entered the room, causing the legal pad and pen that had rested upon his lap to fall to the ground. She hovered in the doorway, stifling her laughter as he bent down to clean up his mess, occasionally glancing up at to look at her. Though her form-fitting, revealing yet tasteful red dress was striking, it was the overwhelming shock of finally being in the same room with her, for the first time in nearly five years, that shook him. She had vaguely lingered in his mind since his very first visit to Smallville, but he had never had the time or inclination to think about her for very long, as their personal situations at the time had been such that there hadn't been hope. However, since she had gone to Washington, her frequent appearances on CNN and C-SPAN had intrigued him and thus he had started to follow her career avidly.

He was never sure exactly what it was about her that had grabbed a hold of his attention, but he couldn't help but wonder how often people took the time to actually get to know Martha Kent. She had spent over twenty years secluded on that farm in the middle of nowhere, and with very little transition, suddenly she had a hand in running the country, thrust into the public eye. Neither of those situations had likely left her with very much opportunity to be known and understood by people outside of her family, her inner circle. Here, he saw an opportunity to do just that.

Perry set his notepad and pen down on the sidetable next to the chair and approached her, holding out his hand. "Good evening, Senator."

She let him shake her hand, though he could tell she was a bit reluctant. "Mr. White."

"Perry. Please." He stepped back and offered her the seat across from his. She nodded cordially and walked over to the chair, smoothing out her dress before sitting down. He smiled nervously, then sat across from her. "I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me."

"I have to admit," Martha began, drawing her words out so slowly that Perry felt as if she was purposely taunting him. "I was surprised to hear from you. My relationship with _The Daily Planet_ over the years has been friendly due mostly to Chloe Sullivan. I'm surprised they would replace her."

Perry tensed up a little, sensing her obvious animosity towards him. "Well. I wouldn't be able to answer that. You'd have to talk to the guys upstairs."

Martha nodded curtly. "I might."

He reached for his legal pad and pen, placing them back in his lap as he took a moment to consider the direction of the conversation. "Look, Senator, I can understand your hesitance. Last time you saw me I was glued to a bottle of Jack Daniels and throwing myself off of bridges on the off chance your son might save me. You've got no reason to trust me and you've certainly got no reason to like me. But for what it's worth, I'm not the same guy I was five years ago. Not entirely, anyway."

Perry paused, studying her expression with intent interest. It took a few seconds, but soon a shy smile spread across her face and he noticed she seemed to relax a bit. "Okay."

He raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

Martha nodded slowly. "I'm going to default to my husband's practiced mantra. I prefer to believe in people." At this, she smiled again, a fragile, private smile that he knew instinctively was not meant for him but for the one she had lost. Suddenly, he began to feel for her. Suddenly, she was a person. Not a public figure or a woman whose son he had harassed for three days five years ago. She was Martha Clark Kent, and she had been hurt.

"Well," Perry said, with an apprehensive smile, trying to conceal the deep compassion she had made him feel. "That's a first for people in _this _city."

This seemed to soften her a little. "I moved away from Metropolis for many reasons. _That_ is one of them."

Picking up his pen and positioning it above the legal pad, Perry looked up at her expectantly. "What about the others?"

"Love, love, rebellion, and love."

Perry grinned. "Lot of variety." Martha chuckled at this. "What will the voters say?"

"Well, I can think of no better reason to leave your home than love, so I would hope they'd be impressed," she replied. "Although, if my father were still alive, I doubt he'd agree."

"Not a big believer, eh?" Perry questioned.

"In Jonathan? No." She shook her head sadly. "My father never warmed to the idea of me moving to Smallville, and certainly not for love."

Martha glanced up at him, to find him staring at her with an awed fascination. She blushed self-deprecatingly and looked back down at her lap. He shook himself out of it and began scribbling on the legal pad in an effort to refocus his thoughts on professional matters.

"You'll have to excuse me," Perry said, shaking his head in disbelief at his own lack of composure. "It's not every day I interview a U.S. Senator at the Governor's mansion."

Martha flashed him a skeptical half-smile as she looked at him squarely, trying to discern his motives. "Yes, you have," she replied, with assurance. "You're a Pulitzer-prize nominated journalist, you've been at this for over twenty years. You're no stranger to the Governor's mansion and you're most definitely no stranger to U.S. Senators."

His eyes on her, Perry's face broke into an amused, impressed grin. He put his pen down. "You're right. You want the truth?"

"Always."

He leaned forward intently. "It's you." He felt a surge of delight when her eyebrows raised in surprise. "I don't know what it is, but here you are, and suddenly Pulitzer-prize nominated Perry White is nowhere to be found. All that's left is the less self-assured Perry White, stripped of all ambition and journalistic edge, at the mercy of a woman he's met only once before. And he has no idea what the hell to do about it."

Martha's eyes widened as she leaned back in her chair, thoroughly taken aback. It had been years since anyone had been so forward with her. "Well," she breathed.

"Yes." Perry nodded, not at all as embarassed as he reckoned he should have been. "Well."

She tilted her head a bit coyly and scratched her head with slight confusion. "You sure know how to conduct an interview, Mr. White."

Taken by an unexpected injection of boldness, Perry discarded his pen and notepad, placing them on the sidetable again. "Oh, to hell with it. Sullivan can have the damn thing." He stood then, holding his hand out to her. "Would you like to grab a cup of coffee?"

Martha couldn't help but smile. She was thoroughly delighted by this man's audacity, his ease. She couldn't deny it was thrilling. "I'd love to," she said, to her own surprise, taking his hand and allowing him to help her up.

She followed him out of the study, and as they passed Lois standing outside the room, Martha flashed her a nervous grin, and asked her to tell Lionel she would call him tomorrow. Completely flustered and unsure of what the appropriate reaction would be, Lois merely nodded. As Martha disappeared from view with Perry White, Lois impulsively grabbed her cell phone and began frantically texting a message.

"Chlo – you sure as hell weren't kidding about Perry White."

**TBC.**


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

It was nearly six a.m. when Clark Kent heard a car pull into the gravel and dirt driveway. He stood from the kitchen table, where he had been distractedly nursing a strong cup of coffee, and walked over to the kitchen window. He squinted and leaned in closer, unsure he was seeing the image before him correctly. If his vision wasn't failing him, which is almost certainly was not, his eyes spotted Perry White hopping out of the driver seat. Moving over to the passenger side, Perry opened the car door and helped his mother out. She was still wearing the deep red evening gown she had been wearing the evening before.

Clark shook his head in disbelief, now remembering Chloe's text message from yesterday. The two made their way up the walkway toward the front porch, both in a contagious fit of laughter, about what, Clark could not discern. Martha put her hand on Perry's shoulder affectionately, almost as if to keep her from doubling over in laughter. Clark frowned thoughtfully at the sight before him. It had been years since he had seen his mother laugh like that. He hadn't realized it had been so long.

The two entered through the front door, and Clark prepared himself for their inevitable entrance into the kitchen. He stood against the sink and took a deep breath. Their laughter was louder now, as they got closer, and Martha was whispering "shhh" between fits of uncontrollable laughter. When they finally entered the kitchen, Clark regarded them with wide, suspicious eyes as they stopped short in the doorway, clearly shocked by his presence.

"Clark!" Martha exclaimed, surprised. "Uh. You remember Perry White."

Clark folded his arms across his chest defiantly, shooting Perry a stony glare. Perry smiled sheepishly, letting out a nervous chuckle at he looked at Martha for guidance.

"Where've you been?" Clark questioned, even as he himself was struck by the sudden role reversal. "It's almost six in the morning."

"Oh, sweetheart, you weren't waiting up, were you?" Martha asked, feeling guilty. "I thought you'd be out with Chloe until late. I didn't think you'd even notice."

"I noticed."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. Really. I wasn't planning to be out so late, but then Perry and I went out for coffee and suddenly coffee turned into breakfast and…I don't know, I guess we just lost track of time," Martha explained, glancing at Perry, who nodded in agreement.

"That's all?" Clark replied doubtfully. "Coffee."

Martha rolled her eyes at him, offended by the suggestion it would be anything otherwise. "Of course."

"Clark," Perry chimed in. "If I've learned anything tonight – last night- it's that your mother is nothing if not a virtuous, respectable woman. Had I so much as tried to make a move on her, she would have been gone in an instant," he explained. "You don't have to worry."

Clark looked from Perry to Martha back to Perry again, eyeing them with rampant suspicion. "Uh," Perry muttered awkwardly, turning to Martha. "I think I should go. I'll give you a call." She nodded reluctantly. "It was…nice seeing you again, Clark."

Clark merely scowled back, anxiously waiting for him to leave. Perry flashed Martha a neutral smile, then exited through the back door. When he was out of sight, Martha glared at Clark, setting her purse down on the counter and moving to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"So, is this how it's going to be now?" She questioned, taking a sip from Jonathan's favorite mug. "I bring home a man of the opposite sex and you automatically give him the cold shoulder? I thought our relationship was more…evolved than that, Clark."

"Yeah, well, that was before you showed up here with Perry White at six in the morning!" Clark retorted.

"Oh, Clark." Martha shook her head, disappointed in his immaturity. "I had coffee with a friend. There was hardly anything to it."

"A _friend_?" Clark repeated dubiously. "Five years ago he was tearing through this town interrogating everyone, he almost got me _killed_ jumping off that bridge. Now he's a _friend_?"

She sighed, reaching down to pull off her strappy high heeled sandals, as they had started to irritate her feet. "People change, Clark."

Clark couldn't believe what he was hearing. "People change?! Mom, you should know better than anyone, people don't change."

"Perry was an alcoholic, down-on-his-luck reporter, not a mass murderer," Martha replied, defensively. "Cut him a little slack."

With that, she placed her mug in the kitchen, grabbed her heels, and walked across the kitchen to exit. "Where are you going?" Clark asked. "We need to talk about this."

Martha spun around in the doorway. "There's nothing to talk about, Clark. Perry is my friend. We're both adults and we've done nothing wrong."

Clark groaned, sitting down beside the counter, watching her walk down the hall and up the stairs. _Had_ he been out of line?

--

"She's a single woman, Clark."

Clark groaned, taking a seat on top of Chloe's desk at _The Daily Planet_. That had not been what he wanted to hear from his best friend. "She's my mother. And she's a widow."

Chloe nodded, trying to be as sympathetic as possible while still being realistic. "Yes, and it's been almost three years. Did you ever stop to think she might be a little…lonely?"

Clark sighed, unable to protest. He hated to think of his mother as lonely or unhappy, but he also hated to think of her with anyone besides his father, especially not someone like Perry White or Lionel Luthor. It seemed his mother was purposely taunting him with her taste in the opposite sex. "That's not the point."

"I'm sorry, _what's_ the point?" Chloe questioned with a bubbly confusion.

"You should have seen them, Chloe," Clark explained, obviously distressed by the memory. "They were out all night doing god only knows what. And there was so much…laughter."

"Oh, no, _laughter_? You're right. They must be stopped," Chloe deadpanned, rolling her eyes at him.

"Thanks for your support, Chloe."

"Clark, listen," she said, crossing her legs and leaning back into her chair, facing him. "If Perry White has the ability to put a smile back on your mother's face, isn't that good enough?"

He paused, considering the notion for a moment. "But he's…_him_."

"You really don't trust your mother's judgment?" Chloe asked doubtfully. "I mean, she was married to your dad for twenty-five years. You'd think she has pretty good taste in men."

Clark let out a heavy sigh. "You're right. I just don't know if I'll ever get used to the idea of seeing her with anyone but Dad."

Chloe reached forward and placed her hand over his reassuringly. Clark smiled faintly, missing the memories he had of his parents holding hands across the dinner table, their infectious laughter emanating from the master bedroom, washing the car together on Saturday mornings and somehow inevitably ending up in each other's arms. He would give anything to have those days back.

--

"Hi, Chloe!" Martha greeted the young girl contentedly upon opening the back door and finding her waiting. "Come on in."

Chloe smiled cordially letting herself in. "Do you mind if I…" She gestured toward the coffee pot.

"Oh, no, go right ahead," Martha replied, sitting down at the counter with a few documents laid out before her, preparing for her upcoming press conference. "If you're looking for Clark, he's not here." She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "I don't know where that boy gets to."

"Actually, Mrs. Kent," Chloe answered, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I came to see you."

"Oh." Martha looked up, pleasantly surprised. "All right."

A steaming mug in her hand, Chloe sat down on the stool beside her and smiled a bit nervously, unsure where to begin. "Well. I've heard, through our own personal 6-foot, lightning fast runner of a grapevine, that you and Perry White have been…enjoying each other's company."

Martha blushed, but attempted to hide it with a confident, nonchalant smile. "We've had a few…conversations."

"Conversations." Chloe nodded knowingly. "Right."

Sighing, Martha responded, "If you've come here to dissuade me…"

"Oh, no." Chloe shook her head fervently. "Just the opposite actually. But Clark would skin me alive if he knew we were having this conversation, so if you wouldn't mind…"

Martha smirked. "Secrets are kind of a house specialty around here, I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Okay, well, Clark's got his flannel all in a knot about this, but I've been thinking a little about it, and honestly? I think Perry could be good for you. And you would certainly be good for him, that's for sure."

Martha looked down at her coffee cup, a little unsure and a little embarrassed, and shrugged. "A few conversations, Chloe…"

Chloe lifted a curious eyebrow. "A few conversations that must have been prolific enough to inspire him to make up excuses to run downstairs and see _me_ almost once an hour since, so he can fish for the details on _you_."

Martha glanced up, surprised. "Really?"

Chloe smiled and nodded subtly. "Really." She leaned forward then, looking at Martha intently. "He's a good guy, Mrs. Kent. And if you could see the way his ears perk up whenever someone mentions you. He's got it bad."

Martha lifted her coffee mug to take a sip, hiding her smile behind it. "Well then…"

--

As she and Martha walked up the steps of the Metropolis city hall building, where the press conference was to be held, Lois couldn't help but keep glancing over at her boss. She had a certain glow about her. It wasn't quite the light that illuminated her when her husband was alive, but it was a distinct change in her usual appearance. When they reached the doors, Martha stopped and blocked Lois's hands from opening them.

"All right, what is it?" Martha questioned with determination. Lois looked confused. "You've been stealing glances at me all morning. Either I have something in my teeth or you've gone and started playing for the other team. Spill."

Lois was a bit taken aback. She hadn't heard Martha speak with such wit or conviction for years. "I, uh…well, it's just that you look…different."

"Different?"

"Happy," Lois revised quickly.

Martha smiled, almost shyly. "Well. I guess I got up on the right side of the bed this morning." With that, she flung the doors open and Lois had to scurry to catch up with her.

As they walked through the security check, Martha's cell phone began ringing. She smiled sheepishly at the guard, handing it to him as she passed underneath the arch. When she reached the other side, she grabbed her things, and immediately put her cell phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

She smiled on impulse when she heard the voice on the other line. "I left you at six a.m yesterday morning and I've had your number typed into my phone since 6:15," Perry announced, matter-of-factly. "It has taken all of the strength and willpower within me to keep from calling you not once, not twice, but fifty times, at least, prior to this moment. You have to admit, that's pretty impressive."

Martha bit her lip, trying to hide her enchanted grin from Lois as they walked through the main foyer of city hall. "_I'm_ impressed."

"Good, because yours is the only opinion I care about," Perry replied without missing a beat. "What are your plans for the afternoon?"

"Well, I have a press conference in about three minutes," Martha answered, silently anticipating whatever he may have had in mind. "After that, I'm free until my four o'clock meeting with the City Commissioner."

Lois looked up, intrigued by the Senator's mention of her schedule for the day. The smile on her face told her it had to be Perry White on the other line.

"How about lunch then?" He suggested.

"I'm game," Martha agreed, feeling the conversation come to an end as she entered the ballroom full of rowdy reporters preparing for her press conference. "Where do you want to meet?"

Perry chuckled. "I'll find you."

She pursed her lips, considering the ambiguity of his words. "Should I be afraid?"

"Mmm, yes," he said in a low whisper. "Very afraid."

"Mrs. Kent," Lois interjected, jabbing her lightly. "The conference is about to start."

"Right." She turned back away from her. "I have to go. I guess I'll…see you."

"You bet," Perry replied.

Martha hung up the phone and dropped it in her purse, handing the bag to Lois as she took her notes and ascended onto the stage. Approaching the podium, Martha looked out into the sea of cameras and reporters, lights flashing in her eyes, and spotted a certain Perry White in the corner, almost lost within the chaos. They locked eyes, and she shook her head, a smile plain on her face. Perry grinned back, winking at her.

Lois stepped back, standing on the wings as Martha began the press conference. Within seconds, Chloe appeared beside her, watching the Senator with interest.

"Wow," Chloe muttered. "She sure wasn't wearing _that_ when I saw her at the farm this morning."

She was wearing a thigh-length purple skirt, and a black spaghetti strap top covered by short, curve-hugging jacket, which revealed a bit more cleavage than she was used to.

Lois shrugged. "She's dressing for a man now." Chloe glanced over at her quizzically. "Before, she was just dressing for herself, she had no one to impress. Now she has to…dress for success, if you know what I mean."

Chloe chuckled at Lois's suggestive wink and shook her head. "Ohh, Clark is going to have a coronary," Chloe said, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket.

"What are you doing?" Lois asked, as Chloe began typing a message.

"Texting Clark," Chloe replied. "Although I wish I could see his face when he learns that his mom is showing off the girls to his _favorite _reporter."

Lois laughed at her cousin, with a quick roll of the eyes. "Okay, while you're texting Clark about his mom's boobs, I think I'm gonna, you know, do my job."

Chloe nudged her playfully, not moving her eyes from her cell phone as she typed her message, as Lois jogged up onto the stage and stood behind Martha as she fielded questions from a mob of over-jealous reporters. Somewhere in the crowd, a smitten Perry White was anxiously awaiting his turn.

**TBC.**


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

"Thank you!"

Martha smiled cordially at the gaggle of press gathered before her then stepped aside, allowing Lois to take her place. "Okay, settle down, kids. If you have any further questions, you can direct them to me," Lois announced, pointing to a particularly anxious reporter in the front row.

Martha stepped off stage, touching Chloe's shoulder as she passed her. She exited into the hallway and immediately found Perry White leaning expectantly against one of the pillars in the main foyer.

"Well played, Senator." He grinned at her, tucking his pen into his jacket pocket and moving toward her.

Martha breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that. I've spent most of my life _avoiding_ the press."

"What's changed?" Perry chuckled, reaching her.

She smirked. "Not much." Putting down her purse, she reached up release her hair from the clip that held it up, as Perry watched with meticulous attention. "Sorry. This is making me nuts." It was shorter than he remembered, but just as dark, cut to about halfway down her neck, and had fallen in sporadic waves having been held back all day.

She hadn't meant for it to be so alluring, but her companion's devilish grin told her otherwise. "But of course, if the voters can agree on anything, it's that they cannot possibly take a female senator seriously unless her hair is neatly pulled back without so much as a fallen strand." She rolled her eyes at the notion. "Make no mistake, sexism still runs rampant in U.S. politics." She paused, studying him when she noticed his eyes were a bit glazed over and his mouth hanging open slightly. "Perry?"

"What?" He asked sharply, snapping out of it quickly. He had always known she was beautiful, he had known it for over five years, but before now – the hair combined with the moderately revealing outfit – he hadn't realized she was so…sexy. "Sorry. I guess I'm still not caught up on sleep," he lied, badly.

Martha grinned to herself, thinking he was a better journalist than he was a liar. Ironically. "So. Where are we off to?"

"Come on," he said, gesturing for him to follow her out of the building. "We'll take my car."

"You have a car?" She questioned incredulously. "In the city?"

Perry shrugged. "I guess you could say I'm sort of a hypochondriac. I have a natural aversion to this city's lack of sanitation."

"Fair enough."

Martha glanced back at Lois on the stage, still fielding questions from unruly reporters, then followed Perry onto the streets of Metropolis.

Once they had disappeared from the general vicinity, Clark's super speed landed him in the main foyer of city hall. He looked around, then followed the sound of buzzing paparazzi until he found Lois and Chloe, clearing out the room after the conclusion of the press conference.

"Clark." Chloe smiled, attempting to mask her surprise at seeing him as she walked his way.

"Chloe, where's my mom?" Clark asked with urgency.

Chloe frowned, then glanced over at Lois, who was walking toward them, looking frazzled and relieved to be rid of the chaos. "Where's the fire, Smallville?"

Clark ignored her, looking around the large, gradually emptying room for a glimpse of his mother. Chloe nodded to herself, having instinctively figured it out. "Ah. I think someone got my text message."

"I didn't have to." Clark shook his head solemnly. "I was watching the conference on C-SPAN."

Lois smirked. "I'm impressed."

"Where did she go?" He pressed them.

"Clark, you just missed her," Chloe replied. "She's having lunch with Perry White."

"Where?" Clark asked, and both girls could see he was ready to speed off toward their destination with but a second's notice.

Chloe reached forward and touched his shoulder, steadying him. "Hey. Relax. It's just lunch."

"Yeah, don't go trying to pull any…interventions there," Lois added. "She's excited about this. She couldn't get off that stage fast enough."

He sighed heavily, obviously distressed by the idea of his mother dating again. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the stage. Lois and Chloe followed, unsure how to react.

"You think she's really serious about this guy?" Clark questioned painstakingly.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Clark. It's only been a couple of days."

"But she's _happy_," Lois observed.

"And Lord knows Perry's crazy about her," Chloe continued.

Clark looked up, still unconvinced but visibly comforted by this notion. "Yeah?"

Chloe nodded fervently. "Yeah."

"He's not going to hurt her, Clark," Lois assured him. "And if he does, I'll knock his block off."

Clark chuckled. She had no idea.

--

"You're fifteen miles over the speed limit!" Martha exclaimed, rolling down the window and watching as the signs quickly disappeared on the highway.

Perry merely grinned, struggling to keep his eyes on the road and not on her. "Well, I've only got an hour to get you back to Metropolis for that meeting, Senator, you leave me no choice."

Martha laughed, rolling the window up again to keep the sound of the wind from drowning out her voice. "Whose fault is that? You just _had_ to take me to that little restaurant in Granville."

Perry feigned offense. "I thought you said it was worth it."

She reached over, placing her left hand on his arm and flashing him a genuine smile. "It was."

At her touch, he turned to look at her and found he could not look away for several seconds. "Perry," Martha said quietly, a knowing, slightly self-deprecating grin on her face. "Perry, you might want to…" She gestured toward the road ahead.

He shook his head and turned his gaze back to the highway. "You're going to get us killed lookin' like that, Martha."

She giggled, pulling her hand away and turning to look out the window. When her hand left his arm, he felt almost unnerved, as if he wasn't sure he could live without her touch now that he had experienced it. Embracing a sudden surge of confidence, his right hand reached out and took her left. She smiled, and didn't fight him.

"I miss this," Martha said quietly, with a faraway smile.

"What?" He asked.

"Happiness." She hadn't meant for it to sound corny, and he didn't take it that way. He knew how hard happiness was to come by as well she did. He squeezed her hand in agreement.

Perry was about to respond, to expound upon his own particular brand of happiness, that kind she had brought him in the past few days, but both were suddenly distracted by the billows of smoke pouring out of the hood. "What the hell…" They both sat up, pulling apart their hands, as Perry immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road.

He slammed the door shut upon stepping onto the concrete and approaching the hood. Martha exited the car more meticulously, warily moving toward the source of the seemingly endless smoke. Perry opened the hood, the excess smoke practically causing him to topple over. Martha waved away the smoke as she moved closer, gesturing for him to step aside.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, utterly confused.

She looked back at him incredulously. "I've lived on a farm for the last twenty-seven years. I know my way around an engine."

He couldn't help but smile. That was certainly a side of her he could never have predicted seeing. Stepping back a bit, he waited for her to perform her investigation and come to him with her diagnosis. After a few minutes, she stepped to the side, where he stood, and coughed a little from the smoke. "Well."

"So what's the word?"

Martha sighed, blowing the hair out of her face. "I don't have a clue."

Perry burst out laughing, causing her to chuckle as well. "Well, you sure had _me_ fooled."

She flashed him a sheepish half-smile. "Truth be told, I was usually standing to the side handing Jonathan the tools when he asked for them. Or just providing my usual brand of charming conversation," she quipped with a self-mocking tone.

"I would expect nothing less," Perry replied, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Triple-A."

Martha nodded, walking around to the back of the car. He followed, waiting for his insurance to pick up on the other line. "May I?" She questioned, gesturing toward the trunk.

"Be my guest." He watched with amusement as she hoisted herself up onto the trunk, crossing her legs daintily, looking around for rescue as if they had been shipwrecked. "Uh, hello? Yes. This is Perry White."

Martha tuned him out as he spoke to Triple-A, wondering why she wasn't more distressed about this. Normally she would be slightly frantic, anxious to solve the problem once it had been located. But now, sitting on the trunk of Perry White's '97 Taurus, leaning back with her palms on the surface, she felt completely calm, almost as if she were on vacation at a little-known hideaway on the East Coast. After a few minutes, with Perry still on the phone negotiating to get a tow truck, Martha realized that was little to no chance she would make her meeting with City Commissioner at four. Perry took a few steps in the opposite direction, to keep from accidentally yelling in her ear as he continued "negotiating," and Martha took this time to phone Lois.

"Hi, Lois." She plastered a fake smile on her face, even though she knew Lois wouldn't see it. "Do you think it would be possible to reschedule the City Commissioner? No, everything's fine. We just ran into a little glitch. Where am I? Uh. Well, we uh…broke down on the side of the expressway. No, no, we're fine. Triple-A's on the way." She glanced uncertainly over at Perry, still on the phone. "I hope. Yes. I'll call you as soon as we make it back to civilization. Okay. And Lois? Whatever you do, do _not_ tell Clark about this, all right? Thank you. I'll talk to you later. Bye bye."

As she dropped her phone back into her purse, Perry flipped his phone shut and approached her, frustrated. "We're looking at least an hour."

She nodded. "I figured."

"You're going to miss your meeting," he admitted, obviously feeling guilty. "I'm sorry."

Martha chuckled, hopping off the trunk. "Hey, unless you had this whole thing planned all along, you've got nothing to be sorry for." She stood before him, looking up – he was not quite as tall as her husband had been, but still enough that she would have to stand on her tiptoes to be eye level with him. She smiled warmly, adjusting his tie as she had always done for Jonathan. "Commissioner Floyd isn't going anywhere."

He beamed at her. No one had fiddled with his appearance in years – no one had cared enough. He placed one hand over hers, both hands resting on his chest, and with his other, he pulled her in closer. She felt a little piece of her start to melt.

"You know something?" Perry asked softly, his smile widening when he saw how innocently and expectantly she looked up at him. "I could flat fall in love with you, lady."

Martha felt her breath catch in her throat, and she blinked back the tears that were gathering in her eyes. Tears caused by three years of inexperience, three years of loneliness, three years harboring very little hope. Her right arm slid up around his neck, pulling him closer as their bodies pressed against each other. Their lips mere centimeters apart, she raised a challenging eyebrow. "I'm going to hold you to that, Mr. White."

All at once, their lips had met, their arms tightened around each other, his fingers running through her hair, her high heels running up his pant leg. Right there, on the side of the road. He couldn't get enough of her – his hand slipped up under her jacket, and when their lips parted briefly refill their lungs with air, he ran his fingers over her lips gently, admiringly, before lurching forward to devour her again.

It wasn't until an impeccably well-kept Porsche pulled up alongside Perry's green Taurus that they were aware of where they were. The owner of the enviable foreign car stepped out of the driver's seat, the slam of the door causing the couple to break apart.

He pulled off his sunglasses, a scandalized grin spreading across his face.

"Mr. White. Mrs. Kent. What a surprise."

--

**TBC.**


End file.
